


Operation Bust

by LunaCeMore



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, LGBTQ Character, Light Angst, Swan-Mills Family, SwanQueen Fanfiction Facebook Group, swanqueen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-12 20:04:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18453677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaCeMore/pseuds/LunaCeMore
Summary: Henry Mills tries to play matchmaker between his mothers, but Captain Hook throws a wrench into his plans. Set post-Cora's death in s2 and strays from canon as Hook is not Emma's love interest. This is a Swanqueen endgame piece and anti-hook. Rated Teen for same-sex kissing but there is nothing too graphic.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a repost of an old ff of mine that needed a rework and editing.

 

 

* * *

Life after the turmoil Cora Mills brought to Storybrooke had faded, and the town returned to its normal humdrum pace. Henry Mills decided to move back into his adoptive mother's home after Cora's death with the blessing of his birth mother, Emma Swan.

His adoptive mother needed him more than ever, and he knew his presence could keep Regina on the straight and narrow and he wanted to be there for her. He could see she was trying to change her ways, and he understood, with the help of Emma, why she turned to the dark side when Cora arrived in Storybrooke.

_"No matter what she did, she did it because she was fighting to keep you, Henry. She doesn't always make good decisions when it comes to trying to protect herself, and after meeting her mother, I suddenly understand exactly how she got that way. We all need to give her some slack and help her. All of us have the potential to do bad things."_

_"Like Snow White killing Cora?"_

_"It wasn't that she killed Cora, because she was protecting her family, but yeah, the decision she made to use Regina to do it, that was what made it bad."_

_Henry took in what his blonde mother said then asked, "So you don't hate my mom anymore?"_

_"I never hated her Henry. She scared the shit out of me and… I kind of get defensive when I'm protecting myself, just like she does and I don't always make the right choices when that happens."_

_"So you like my mom?" he notices right away the blush that flushes her cheeks and her sudden loss for words. "So do you?" he pushes a little harder, just to gauge her reaction._

_"Yeah kid, I like Regina. I'm still scared to death of her though." She chuckles nervously at the truth._

Henry knew his blonde mother was fearful of his adoptive mother for reasons beyond the fact the woman was the Evil Queen, had magic or was just plain vengeful. He had long talks with his mother before the curse was broken and knew she had just as many walls as his adoptive mother had when it came to putting herself out there and making connections.

The Sheriff was guarded and had severe abandonment issues, rightfully so or not, and he knew if he wanted to get his mom's together, Regina's walls weren't the only walls that needed to come down.

He did want to get them together. It seemed so obvious to him, and he felt like he did when he was the only one who believed in the curse. So like he did when he helped his birth mother break the curse, he created an operation.

Henry moved back into the Mayor's manor and started putting effort into rebuilding his relationship with his adoptive mother. She had been devastated after the death of her mother by her own hands and his presence, he felt, was sorely needed to keep the Evil Queen at bay.

"Are you alright mom?"

"Yes, darling."

"I'm happy to be home you know, I've missed you."

"You have?" The shock that flashed in his mother's eyes was heartbreaking to him.

"Of course mom, but... I miss Emma though too." He saw her wrap her arms around her midsection, something she always did when she guarded herself.

He knew, or at least he suspected, that the brunette, before the Cora thing, was starting to genuinely like his birth mother. When Emma fell through the portal to the Enchanted Forest, Regina worked non-stop to find a way to get her back. And although she said, repeatedly, that it was for his benefit, he had strong suspicions she had other motivations.

"Are you still mad at her mom?" he asked cautiously noting her rigid stance.

"I'm not mad at her Henry. We both..."

She got distracted pulling at a string that hung off of her sleeve, and he finished her thought for her, "You both made bad choices when Cora came to town. I know."

"We did," she said agreeing with his assessment.

"So you still like her then?" he prodded gently. He instantly noticed the tinge of crimson that flushed his mother's cheeks, the same reaction his birth mother had when posed the same question.

"Well, I don't know about  _like,_  but I don't  _hate_  her," she replied, recovering quickly.

"Would it be alright if I asked her to come over, you know, to see us?" he asked casually.

"I suppose, if she wanted to visit with you,  _here_ , I wouldn't be opposed to it. She is your mother too," she said casually.

Once he had it in his head that both of his mother's liked each other, much more than they were willing to admit, he decided that as their son, it was his job to help them see the truth. He also decided that his brunette mother would be much easier to crack than the battle-scarred blonde, believe it or not, so he focused on her.

Bringing his birth mother over often, getting them to spend time with one another really seemed to help his adoptive mother get over her fears a bit, and he saw his chance to get in a good word for Emma.

He asked his mom to meet him down at Granny's for lunch that day, because today would be the day he brought up his new Operation to the Mayor. "So Mom, you know I want you to be happy right?"

"Of course. I want you to be happy too darling," she replied looking over her menu.

"I think Emma makes you happy," he said cautiously.

Her brown eyes flicked up to his smiling little face before returning to the menu.

He continued, "I think you should ask her out."

"Henry," she warned quietly.

"Hear me out. I see how you are with her, with the looks and the saving each other and stuff. I know she likes you too, mom."

"Did she...  _tell_  you that?" his adoptive mother put the menu down and he now had her full attention. He smiled and nodded his head. "She did."

He watched as the brunette considered the information he had just provided, then added, "But you can't just ask her out."

This got a questioning raise of an eyebrow.

"It's  _Emma,_  mom," he answered her silent question as if that was all the explanation she would need. After a moment he clarified, "She kind of gets panicky when things get too,  _permanent_."

She folded her hands on the table and stayed quiet, as she took in what her son was telling her and he continued, "She kinda had a hard time growing up, and she doesn't give a chance for people to hurt her. So you can't just go in and ask her for a date."

"Do you think she'd… I mean, I'm the Evil Queen, Henry. She's… the Savior." Her eyes dropped to the table, and she straightened out her suit jacket in an attempt to busy herself from the uncomfortable feelings that statement made her feel.

"You're not the Evil Queen, mom. Not anymore. Emma knows that." Regina twisted her mouth up to the side and bit her inner cheek. "She goes to the Rabbit Hole on Fridays," he said casually.

"She'll be lucky if she doesn't get hepatitis from that place," Regina snickered.

"She goes there to shoot pool because it reminds her of Boston. She told me once it reminded her of the dive bars back home."

"Henry I'm more than a little concerned my 11-year-old knows what a dive bar is. Remind me to discuss what is and what is not appropriate topics of conversation with Miss Swan." She pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation.

"Mom!" he rolls his eyes. "My point is, she goes there because it makes her feel like she did  _before_  she was the Savior. It's kind of a lot of pressure for her, you know? The whole savior thing. She goes there to just be Emma again. I think it would be good for you to, I don't know, chill with her in her own environment."

She looked at him and wondered who this young man was because he couldn't be her little boy. "That was very astute of you Henry. You are growing up so fast darling."

"I know," he says with a wide smile. "So you should go down there tomorrow night and play pool with her."

"I doubt she'd appreciate me intruding on-"

"Mom," Henry warned her, mimicking her own tone when she warns him. "Just trust me on this okay? Please?"

Regina bit her bottom lip, and after a moment she nodded her head. "Okay."

It wasn't a date. She just happened to show up, and oh look! Miss Swan? Fancy meeting you here!

Fancy meeting you here? No. I'll need to come up with a better line than that.

She sat staring blankly at the menu she was no longer reading over as her mind conjured scenarios where she and the Sheriff had a night together.


	2. Chapter 2

Neither Regina nor Henry noticed a man standing up from the booth behind mother and son. He walked away from the table and the conversation he just eavesdropped on. He climbed the stairs back up to the room he rented from Granny, his hook dragging up the wooden banister.  _So the Evil Queen thinks she has a shot at the Savior, does she? We'll see about that._

Captain Killian "Hook" Jones after unsuccessfully trying to seek his revenge had convinced the blonde haired savior to give him a job as one of her two deputies down at the sheriff's station. The perks were good; he got to work closely with the Savior and his fellow deputy, Ruby Lucas. She wasn't bad eye candy at all. He often considered what it would be like if he got both women drunk enough to play around of good cop/bad cop/naughty cop.

Fantasies aside, Sheriff Swan could possibly be a sure thing. Her young son may be on to something with how to connect with the closed-off woman.

He picks up his duty belt and heads off to cover the afternoon shift and relieve Sheriff Swan from the morning. Entering into the building, he sauntered over to his boss's office and leaned against the door jam. "Swan!" he says loudly startling her from the report she was writing.

"Killian!" she exclaimed with annoyance. "You scared me!"

"I apologize, love, it's just about time for me to start my shift. What are you working on?"

"Reports for Gina," she said shortly and returned to her work. "You've got yours done right?"

"I've got all afternoon to get it done, don't you worry," he said with a confident smile.

"Good because any shit I get, I give out double fold." She looked up pinning her green eyes on his outfit and asked, "Didn't Ruby take you shopping? The leather suit is a little…"

"Distracting? Tempting? Captivating? Intriguing?" he supplied with a devilishly handsome smile.

"Much." She scoffed, "Seriously though it would help put people more at ease if you didn't  _look_  like a pirate."

"Why do I care if people are at ease? We are the harbingers of justice," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

"We are their protectors Killian, not their wardens." Emma shook her head at the man's world view.

"Well I'll see what I can do Swan, perhaps you care to help me blend into this strange world?" he said dragging his finger up the wooden door frame.

Emma took a deep breath, held it and then let it out slowly before asking, "And what would you have me do?"

"How about you let me come over to your place tomorrow night, and I cook you dinner?" He stepped closer and sat on the corner of her desk, forcing her to sit back in her chair.

"That isn't a good idea Killian. I'm your boss, this town maybe filled with storybook characters, but we still have policies to follow, and one of those policies is no fraternization between a superior and their subordinates."

"No one mentioned fraternization, Swan! Get your head out of the gutter, lass. I'm simply looking for a home cooked meal; it has been dreadfully long since I've had anything but the swill from that eatery everyone in town seems to enjoy so much. If I had a kitchen in my room perhaps I wouldn't need to offer my vast culinary services to my superior," he looks up at her and flashes sincerity in his baby blues. "A simple meal couldn't possibly be against your valued policies, now could it?" He pouts out his bottom lip and then goes in for the kill, "I've been trying so hard to let go of my vengeance, and I could use a night where I'm not trapped in my little room at the inn thinking nothing but skinning crocodiles and such."

"Tomorrow is no good, I have... a thing I do," she quickly mumbles.

"Does this thing have a name? I'm terribly jealous, Swan," he curls his lip up in an amused sneer.

"It isn't a who, it really is just a thing I do on Fridays. I go down to the pub and-"

"You mean to tell me there is a proper pub in this town and I've been getting Granny to serve my drinks for all these weeks? I'm truly hurt Swan. You owe it to me to show me around this elusive pub you speak of."

Emma looks away, not really wanting to give into the man's persistence, but it might be a good idea to encourage the straight and narrow path he has obviously been trying to take these past few weeks. That had been the entire point of having him join the sheriff's station to begin with; so she could keep an eye on him.

"Alright, fine. Do you know how to play pool?"

"Of course I do!" He scoffed, "Perhaps I can teach you a thing or two."

"Right. Well okay. I'll pick you up at the inn, and we'll go-"

"The least you can do is allow me to cook for you, love, to show my appreciation," he cut her off, and she rolled her eyes a little, knowing she was going to seriously regret agreeing to this.

"Fine, but I mean it Killian, this isn't at all a date. I take my job as sheriff seriously; this is just a couple of coworkers getting out from behind the badge and showing you around town a little bit," she said wrinkling her brow with worry.

"Of course, Sheriff Swan." He stood backing away from the desk he was perched on and waved his hook to his forehead. "I'll come by around 6 after Ruby relieves me."

"Fine. Seriously finish up your paperwork so Gina doesn't tear a strip off of me," she points to his desk out in the bullpen. She watched him leave her office, and she shakes her head hoping this wouldn't turn into a disaster.

* * *

Regina Mills stood in front of her body length mirror and checked over herself. She shook her head in disbelief at what was staring back at her. "I can't believe I let him talk me into this."

She turned to the side and gave a little shoulder shrug at the sight of how the tight black jeans formed to her ass. She ran her hands over the swell appreciatively. She turned back to face the front and started to tuck in the baseball jersey that has the word  _Nirvana_  written across it in bold white letters and a naked baby swimming towards a dollar bill hooked to a fishing line in faded print.

"Don't tuck it in mom," Henry said behind her as he entered her bedroom.

"But…"

"Trust me," he said with a smile. "You look great. She likes your hair down so good choice," he commented as he rummaged through her jewelry box looking for a couple of rings and the earrings he wanted her to wear. Regina turned to look at her son, "How do you know how she likes my hair?"

"She always compliments your hair when it's down," he said as he dug through the next box of trinkets and asked, "Where are the earrings I got for you two birthday's ago? They'll look good with what you have on."

Regina pushed a bit of her hair from the side of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She asked with a smile, "These?"

"Oh great! Yes! I knew they'd work good. Here put these on too," he said and handed her the rings he pulled out of the box.

" _Well_. You knew they'd work  _well_ , dear," she corrected as she takes the rings he handed her slipping them on their designated fingers.

"Whatever. You look great, mom." The pride in himself is evident through the smile he shoots his mother's way. "Your makeup is perfect; you don't need all that gunk Mom, you're so pretty without it. She's going to love it."

"Thank you, my Prince." She pulled him in and kissed him on the forehead. "Really Henry, thank you for believing in me. I never would have done this on my own."

"I know. Both you and Emma deserve to be happy. I know this will work out; I can feel it. Operation Swan Dive is a go."

"Operation what?" she asks with a chuckle.

"Swan Dive. You know, because, Emma  _Swan_ and  _dive_  bar. Get it?" he asked expectantly.

"Oh, I get it." She laughed shaking her head. She turned back and gave herself a final once over, viewing the finished product. She felt entirely under-dressed, but she did look non-threatening and that was what their goal was. To remove her armor and open herself up to her son's other mother in hopes that the woman would do the same with her. She felt an apprehensive excitement at the prospect of bearing herself in such a way, but her son, whom she trusted more than anyone in the world, assured her the blonde Sheriff would be receptive.

She fluffed the side of her hair one last time before steeling her nerves and finished getting ready to go.


	3. Chapter 3

As she suspected she instantly regretted agreeing to the dinner. Killian's "vast culinary expertise" was awash in the modern kitchen, and they ended up making something she had plenty of on hand, hamburger helper, something he needed help with.

Yet still in true Swan fashion, she tried to make the best of the situation and tried to not hurt the guy's feelings, it wasn't exactly his fault.

After dinner, she drove them down to the Rabbit Hole and set her claim on the nearest table. She played the guy who currently had possession of it and easily won. Playing pool was something she did all the time back in Boston, and she suspected she would need to go easy on her leather-clad friend that evening.

"Why exactly did you have to play that gentleman before we could play?" he asked curiously.

"He owned the table," she explained. "I had to beat him to own it."

"He wasn't playing though," he watched as she racked up the balls swapping around the colored ceramic orbs with speed and accuracy of years playing this game.

"He still owned the table Hook, it's just how it is done," she said with a chuckle.

She ran the table a few games and consumed slightly more beer than what she normally would have. She laid down for a shot, lining up the six ball to bank it in the left corner pocket. When she called out the shot, Killian backed into her and bent down to eye down her stick. "What are you doing?" She froze as his hand went over her hip. "Getting lessons from the master love, you are quite the player," he whispered into her ear. She smiled at him and spoke through gritted teeth. "Killian, I'm only going to tell you this once. Get your hand off my ass, or you'll be known as Captain Pair-a-Hooks."

His attention is drawn to the front room before he removed himself from her and stood. "My apologies Swan, it appears as though I may have consumed a bit too much of the local ale."

Emma looked over his shoulder and thought she saw the Mayor storming out of the bar. "Regina?" she said aloud curiously.

_Something must be wrong if the Mayor was here, that woman wouldn't be caught dead at a pub._

_Was she wearing skinny jeans?_

"Regina!" she called as the little brunette pushed her way through the front door. Emma trotted through the main room where the jukebox was blaring Journey, and a single drunken couple swayed to the rhythm of the music.

Emma pushed through the screen door and looked around but didn't see the Benz, or the brunette, anywhere.

_Maybe I didn't really see her, and if I did clearly the woman wasn't there to see me. Wishful thinking Swan._

Emma turned around to see Killian ordering another round at the bar. She walked up to him and told the tender to cancel the second of whatever it was he ordered.

"Bad form Swan."

"Yeah well, I'm tired anyway. I don't come here to get drunk. Do you want a ride back to the Inn?"

"So we won't be going back to yours then?"

She laughed, "Yeah no."

"Then I believe I shall stay and partake in the local color," he said as he waved his good hand flamboyantly. He had come to win a game, and he believed he had. If there was nothing more the blonde would have of him that evening, no sense killing the buzz he had going.

"As you wish Captain. I'll see you Monday when I relieve your night shift," she said as she turned to leave. She can hear him immediately hitting on a little blonde at the bar, and she rolled her eyes.

* * *

Regina magicked herself from the front of the Rabbit Hole directly to her bedroom. Her eyes were stinging with angry tears, blurring her vision. She kicked off her knee-high boots and pulled off her skinny jeans, kicking them over into the corner. She pulled off the Nirvana shirt Henry had bought for her and balled it up and aggressively threw it at the pile of clothes that had accumulated on the other side of the room.

She stood in the center of her bedroom looking at herself in the full-length mirror, standing in her bra and panty set. She squeezed her eyes closed as she recounted her disastrous evening.

_She paced out front of the bar for several minutes gathering up the courage to go in. Emma's yellow bug was parked a few spaces down from where Regina materialized. She knew the blonde was in there._

All she had to do was go in.

_As Henry had put it, "It's chill mom, no pressure, just hanging out." But Regina felt pressure, a_ ton _of it._

_She was anxious about putting herself in a situation where she could be rejected, but Henry had assured her, Emma had said…_ things…  _They had been spending more time with one another, outside of the Mayor/Sheriff capacity. Granted it was more of a co-parent capacity, but they had become much more friendly, and ever since Henry mentioned it, the brunette could admit noticing the lingering glances his birth mother would send her way. The number of times she would look down at her lips while Regina was talking to her, the way she would laugh when Regina was being her sassy, witty self._

_And… He said… Emma said.. she liked me…_

_She rolled her eyes at the feeling of feeling like a lovesick teen, but steeled herself anyway and entered the establishment._

_She looked around the loud bar that smelled of stale beer and moderate desperation and saw the yellow flash of Emma Swan's blonde mane leaning over a pool table._

_She pulled her shirt straight and gathered her confidence and walked back towards the game room. Just as she was about to cross the threshold of the back room, the pirate came into view and pressed himself up against the Savior who flashed a large white smile as his free hand, well, his_ good  _hand, slipped around her hip cupping her buttock._

_Regina's entire world crashed down at that moment, her face flushed beet red as she realized she was about to crash a date._

_A date with that impossible disgusting pirate of all people!_

_Her heart was thundering in her chest and tears brimmed her lashes. Tears of embarrassment and_ anger  _for allowing herself to get caught up in the fairy tale of her happy ending! She turned on her heel immediately and quickly walked from the heart-wrenching scene she had just encountered._

_Of course, the Savior would never have feelings for her; she'd be with that traitorous pirate before she'd ever be with the Evil Queen! How foolish can one get?_

Regina covered her face and turned away from the mirror and let the anguish of her self loathing wash over her. She crawled into bed without removing what little makeup she had on or getting into proper pajamas. She just pulled her comforter up over herself and cried into her pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

Henry slept over his friend Hansel's house that Friday night allowing his mom to not worry about having to rush home simply because he was on his own. He noticed how quiet the house was as he entered, which was odd because his mother was a morning person, and it was nearly noon. He figured she was probably just up in her room.

Still disturbed by the silence he trampled up the stairs and knocked on his mother's bedroom door. Without waiting for her to answer, he poked his head in, surprised that the room was dark. The curtains were drawn and he could barely make out his mother's small frame still in bed from what little light that came in.

His heart skipped as he thought perhaps he had intruded on a private adult thing between his moms but then heard his adoptive mother sniffle. He looked harder and noticed she was indeed alone.

"Mom?" Worry started to flood his senses as he walked around his mother's bed to see the tear-stained mascara that ran down her cheeks. "What happened?"

"Operation Swan Dive was a bust. She is  _not_ interested," his brunette mother mumbled with a deeply strained voice.

He shook his head and knit his brow in disbelief, "No, she is so! She said-"

"Henry!" His mother closed her eyes trying to keep back the ocean of hurt she felt in order to convince the boy his juvenile dreams of his mothers being together wasn't going to happen.

"No! She  _is_ your happy ending, mom! And you're hers!"

"That's enough!" his mother snapped loudly. "The Savior could never love the  _Evil_ Queen! You're wrong!" A lifetime of sorrow filled her voice and he tried his best to reassure her, "Mom… You're not-"

"Go. I want to be alone," she mumbled in a congested voice, then rolled over and pulled the blanket over her head. Henry quietly took the hint.

His heart broke as he heard his mother's soft sobs as he closed the door behind him. He went into his room, unsure of what else to do; pacing and reevaluating his blonde mother's words. Unable to reason why Operation Swan Dive could have possibly failed, he decided to go to the source. If his adoptive mother wouldn't tell him what happened, perhaps his birth mother would. He poked his head back into his mom's bedroom and asks permission to go to the park out behind their house. She granted his request with a low grunt from under the blankets.

He, of course, got on his bike and headed downtown toward his birth mother's apartment.

Emma answered the door, her hair is disheveled, and she is in a tee shirt and underwear. "Hey, kid."

"Hey, Emma. Remind me to buy you a bathrobe for mother's day," he said as he pushed past her. He immediately saw the dishes in the sink and the glasses of wine from the night before. Two of them.

"Who was here?" he accused, not caring how blunt he was being. His mom was in pain, and it was Emma's fault.

"Killian came over and…"

" _Hook_? You were out with Hook?  _No wonder!_  Oh, you  _idiot_!!" He cut her off, anger evident, storming past her and out the door before she got an explanation out of him or being able to reassure him it wasn't a thing with the pirate. Henry stomped off leaving her stunned in the middle of her kitchen.

He returned home and rushed up the stairs to go comfort his mother, but when he entered her bedroom, he saw she was up and dressed. She had a power suit on and a thick layer of makeup that hid her upset poorly.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I didn't know Emma was a moron," he said in a weak, pitiful little boy voice.

"Henry, no matter how much I agree with your assessment, I can't in good conscience allow you to call your other mother a moron."

He rushed over to her and hugged her. "You're not the Evil Queen! You're my mom and I love you!"

She returned his embrace coolly, still feeling every bit of the broken mess she was before. "Will you be alright for a couple of hours? David has called a meeting that I must attend." The little boy nodded against her midsection and then pulled away from her.

"I'm sorry," dark hazel eyes looked up and he could see the damage that'd been done by this operation and wanted nothing more than to reassure her but also had the understanding to know that wasn't something he would be able to do.

* * *

Emma Swan sat at the conference table next to her two deputies; Hook choosing to sit closer than she was entirely comfortable with, and Ruby across from the pair on the other side.

She saw her son's mother enter the quickly crowding conference room, and she called out a friendly greeting with a dimpled smile, "Hey Gina!" She noted the woman's power armor was on that afternoon, and despite the massive amount of makeup she had applied, Emma noticed her red puffy eyes immediately. Her smile fell as she got a cold, "Miss Swan," in acknowledgment. Her brow knitted up in confusion, thinking back over the last few days if she had done something wrong to upset the Mayor, but came up empty. She was brought out of her contemplation by her father's voice starting their meeting.

She could barely pay attention to what was going on as Killian kept leaning in and whispering things to her during the briefing, comments about the subject matter, and the townsfolk.

She finally whispered back to him, "Clamp it Killian, or I'm going to clamp it for you." He chuckled and shot a look in Regina's direction that Emma missed in her irritation. In defeat, he stretched his arm around the back of her chair and settled down to listen to what was being discussed.

It was painfully boring, but when it finally concluded they got up and adjourned the meeting. Regina, much to Emma's dismay, was one of the first to make it out the door. She, on the other hand, got stuck behind the shuffle and next to Killian who had the gall to ask her out again.

"Killian..." she warned, "Just stop." Before he could continue his persistent advances, she slipped through the crowd and made it out into the hall. She turned the corner that led to the elevators but turned the other way and headed down to the Mayor's office. She knocked on the door and opened it before Regina gave her permission to enter.

The Mayor was leaning over her desk shuffling paperwork into a briefcase. "Hey, Regina? Are you alright?" she asked as she walked closer.

"How I am is of no concern to you, Miss Swan." The curt answer surprised the blonde, and she immediately went on the defensive.

"Oh, so we are back to  _Miss Swan_  are we?"

"Yes well, I  _am_ your boss, am I not?"

"Well yeah, sorta I guess-"

"Well as your boss, I choose to keep our relationship  _professional_." The brunette regally lifted her chin, crossed her hands over her midsection defensively, and pinned the blonde with a fiery stare. She decided that she couldn't very well tell the Savior what the  _actual_  problem was, so she chose to nitpick about something insignificant and laid into the Sheriff over proper managerial procedures, ending finally with, "If you can't handle your subordinates in a professional capacity, I'm sure we can find someone who can!"

Emma opens her mouth to say something in response to the extensive chastising she just received but had no idea where to start. She wanted to bark back at the Mayor and ask her if she needed a Midol, but the look in those dark eyes was pain, and Emma refrained from saying anything that she would later regret.

"Have your  _pet_ deputy turn in his weekly report on my desk by Monday morning, or he can go get a job down at the docks and put that hook of his to good use gutting fish!"

"My pet deputy?" Emma shakes her head in disbelief, "Hook didn't do his report? Damn it. I'm sorry Regina, I reminded him, but-"

"Monday Sheriff. Good day," the Mayor said dismissing her.

"Regina…" Emma tried once more, but the darker woman was clearly over the conversation.

"I said, good day!" The warning that flashed across her face was enough for Emma to take the hint and she quietly left the Mayor's office.


	5. Chapter 5

After the blowout Regina had with the Sheriff, she was not in the mood for anything domestic by the time she got home and asked Henry if he would mind getting take out from Granny's. "I don't wish to stay there dear, but I don't wish to cook either."

Henry was accommodating; he felt guilty for pushing her towards his birth mother, "Sure mom, whatever you want." He looked up at her with apologetic eyes, then ran to gather his shoes to go out.

When the Mills family entered the diner, Henry saw his grandparents and asked his mother if he could say hi. She granted him permission with worry. "I still don't wish to stay, Henry," she warned and he reassured her as he trotted off to spend time with Snow and David.

Regina closed her eyes in annoyance as she smelled the cologne of the pirate before she saw him in her peripheral vision as he sat down next to her at the counter.

He flashed a dashing smile her way, flaunting his victory. "So how was your evening your Royal Highness?"

Regina promptly ignored him, but of course, he persisted in needling the Queen, "Well since you've asked, I myself, had a  _fantastic_  evening. The Sheriff was so kind as to show me around town. She showed  _me_  things… I showed  _her_  things… it was  _quite_ a night."

"What do you want, Pirate?" she asked, her annoyance dripped from her lips.

"Well, I wanted to thank you since it was your boy who gave me the idea on how to court his mother." A sly smile crossed his lips as his words sank into the brunette, "His  _real_  mother that is," he adds watching the Queen cringe.

"You overheard me and Henry?" She didn't need to ask, she knew he had. He shrugged his shoulders noncommittally.

"You don't even care for her, you snake. This was about what, hurting me?" she demanded quietly trying to not draw attention to them in the busy diner.

"Don't be so full of yourself! Of course I care for Swan! What gets me giddy is you thinking she could ever be interested in your royal pain in the ass," he said smugly.

Regina turned her head, and a single tear defies her and escapes over the apple of her cheek. She quickly brushed it away before the pirate could see and steeled her jaw against his sharp words.

Ruby overheard part of the conversation Mayor Mills, and Deputy Jones was having and she quietly watched as Regina's demeanor shifted. She was a little shocked Emma would date the pirate, and a little annoyed because he seemed to be using it to hurt the Mayor. She brought over Regina's take out and handed it to her giving her a much-desired escape.

"I'll be sure to give Emma your… I mean,  _my_ love... Your Majesty." He smiled wide as he watched her collect her son from his grandparents and storm out of the diner.

"Was it something I said?" He chuckled wickedly as he watched her go.

* * *

Sunday morning Emma's shift went quickly. She dug through Deputy Jones' non-existent filing system looking for the missing paperwork she needed to finish up his reports for the Mayor. She clearly couldn't trust him to do it, so she took it upon herself to complete them. She would deal with his carelessness after Regina was off her back. She hadn't seen the Mayor that angry with her in quite some time, and it honestly put her off her game.

Ruby walked into the station 15 minutes later than her shift had started, and when Emma gave her their good-natured shit about it, the tall brunette snapped at her, "Well I thought we threw out the rule book!" She shot a look back at the blonde and turned a cold shoulder to walk over to her desk leaving Emma in a state of shock.

That was the straw that broke the Swan's back, "Why the hell is everyone treating me like the town asshole?!"

"Well, I didn't realize that the policing policy only applied to deputies who weren't banging the Sheriff!"

Emma shook her head and thought the brunette was coming on to her and replied, "Rubes, I mean it's not like I've never thought about it before, but I'm your boss now. I wouldn't break policy for friends with benefits, no matter how hot I think you are."

The response Emma got was unexpected to say the least. Ruby crinkled up her nose and let out a disgusted "Ew!" and then frowned, thinking about it for a few more seconds then got grossed out all over again. "Ew Emma! Wait, did you just say you've  _thought_ about it? With  _me_? EW! EMMA?! I'm your godmother and shit!" She shook her head and started rummaging through her bag then stopped as the realization crossed her, "Wait, you won't break policy for  _me_ , but you will for that… that…  _Pirate_?!" Ruby demanded loudly.

"What?! NO!"

"So you  _didn't_ go out with him?"

"He didn't know where the Rabbit Hole was, I took him down there and left him there after kicking his ass at pool."

"That isn't the way he made it sound, all romantic dinners and playing doctor…"

"He  _told_ you that?" Emma asked embarrassed and angry.

"No, I overheard him bragging last night at the diner," Ruby said quietly, seeing her friend was honestly shocked. She felt a little bad for believing the pirate over her gut.

"Oh god! Which of his swarmy friends did he tell this to?" Emma rolled her eyes kicking herself for trusting the guy.

"None. He told the Mayor," Ruby replied. Emma was silent as her mouth dropped open taking in the information.

"Regina?" Her brow knit into a tight knot across her forehead, and she swallowed thickly, "Why?" Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat and asked again, "Why would he tell her that?"

"I don't know! She seemed pretty upset about it though." Ruby didn't get her entire sentence out before Emma turned on her heels and marched out of the station.

The brunette muttered under her breath, "Pirate, you fucked with the wrong savior."

* * *

Emma pounded on the door of Killian's room urgently. "Killian? Open up!" she shouted through the door. He had obviously been asleep when he came to the door standing in nothing but his boxer shorts.

"Did you tell my boss that we were… dating?" She shook her head at what she wanted to ask but decided to downplay it while she was in a relatively public place.

"I'm sorry love, what's that now?" His crooked pirate smile told her everything she needed to know.

"You son of a bitch! Dude I tried to give you a real chance at turning your life around, and this is how you repay me? Dicking around with my job? Poking your nose in where it doesn't belong?!"

"I'm sorry, Swan, if our dear Queen mistook what was said that simply isn't my fault."

"So both Regina  _and_ Deputy Lucas mistook you?"

He thought about it and then nodded, "It appears as though they have." He crinkled up his nose and shrugged, "Women."

"Seriously?" she looked at him exasperated at his gall.

"Alright fine but her Royal Evil Bitchiness deserved-"

Emma surprised the man to silence by giving him a left hook to the eye.

"Dude you're  _done_. You're fired, and if I ever see you near my family again, you will sincerely regret it."

White swirls of magic pooled in her eyes as her anger consumed her. His own eyes grew wide with surprise as he had no idea the Savior held magic. She stormed away from the room as he slammed the door.

She was embarrassed and in shock that the pirate would lie about her such as he had, and to her son's mother of all people so she marched down the hall with the intention on setting the record straight.


	6. Chapter 6

"Fuck!" she cried out as she headed out through the diner intending on driving straight to the Mayor's manor when she heard Henry's confused voice.

"Mom?"

His eyes narrow as he scrutinizes his birth mother. He pulls his brow in tight, and his voice grows cold as he realizes where she was coming from. "You were here to see  _him_ , weren't you? Emma! What are you doing?" he practically shouted deciding answers needed to be had. She wasn't behaving how he thought she would, and he wanted to understand why.

"Hook uh… lied about some stuff and I came here to confront him."

She looked around realizing practically every eye in the room was on them then put her arm around his shoulder and tried to guide him back to the counter. He angrily shrugged her arm off of him and spat, "You really hurt her Emma! Do you know how long it took me to get her to agree to ask you out?"

She cocked her head to the side in question, "Who? Your mom? Wait, what?"

"Why are you dating Hook?" he demanded. " _She_  is your happy ending Emma! And you're  _hers_!" His eyes started to water in frustration, and thick tears leaked out over his cheeks.

"Henry, I'm not  _dating_  Hook." She scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"But, you had dinner with him, and I know she saw you two because now she thinks you don't want to date her!"

"Your mom wants to… uh…  _date_... me?" she asks with surprise and more than a little hope.

"She  _did._ Before Friday," he said softly.

She asked, "What happened Friday?"

His expression was contrite, "I talked her into going down to the Rabbit Hole to try and get to know you. You know, like who you were  _before_ the Savior."

"She was there to see  _me_ ," she whispered then closed her eyes as the memory of Hook leaning over her on the pool table, and the sight of Regina storming out of the bar burned bright in her mind's eye.

Her young son nodded sadly and she fought back watery tears and looked away. Her mind swimming with what ifs and what could be's.  _She was willing to go somewhere she abhors to simply get to know me better. The real me_.

"Fuck," she whispered forgetting there was an 11-year-old standing in front of her. Her green eyes focus on his hazel ones, and she apologized for her language. "I need to go talk to your mom. I need to  _fix_ this."

He grabbed her arm as she tried to leave and pulled her back shaking his head. "You can't just ask her now. She won't hear you."

"I'll explain to her that it was just a big misunderstanding-"

"It won't work. Trust me. Her walls are back up, Emma. Her drawbridge is pulled up, the moat is filled, and her walls are impenetrable." He sighed and drummed his little fingers on the top of the counter as he thought.

Finally, he said with a twinkle in his eyes, "Operation  _Castle Siege_."

"What now?" she chuckled.

He sighed again and explained, "She put her walls back up hard after Friday. We need a way to get her to drop her drawbridge so you can get inside her castle."

Emma blushed a little bit at the double meaning of what her son said, but was thankful he was blissfully unaware.

"So okay, how do we do that?"

"First you need to go buy flowers. Roses.  _White_."

"Aren't red roses used for romantic gestures?" she asked skeptically.

"Red roses remind her of her mother," he said with a look that made her feel like she was an idiot and screamed the Mayor's influence.

"Right," she said and bit the inside of her cheek.

"You need to leave one where she can find it. Like by the car or something, all over the place, but don't leave notes, just the flowers," he said with consideration. "Then you need to casually just bump into her all over town."

"I'm pretty sure that's stalking, kid."

"That's wooing, mom."

"There  _is_ a fine line."

"She needs to feel wanted, Emma. Mom has never had that. Not since her first love. She put herself out there Friday, and I have never seen her so upset."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. "About her, you know, meeting me down at the 'Hole?"

"Honestly? I didn't think you were ready. I thought you'd see it as an obligation and run for the hills," he said sheepishly, keeping his eyes down.

Emma thought about it for a moment, and although she wanted to argue his opinion of her habit to run from a commitment like it was a plague; she knew he had a point. "Is this what  _she_ wants? Or is this what you want?" Emma asked the question that was bothering her from the start of this conversation.

"Well it is what I want, but I know she likes you and you said you like her. I just know that if you two could just get over yourselves for a half a second, we could be a family." His eyes were everywhere but looking up at his blonde mother's face.

"Henry," she lifted his chin in order to force him to meet her gaze. "You know, no matter what happens between your mom and me, we both love you very much. We will always be your family."

"I know," he said honestly. "I'm around you guy's when you are apart, and I'm around you guy's when you are together. You're both happier when you two are together," he said with conviction. "So, Operation Castle Siege?" he asked hopefully.

"Is a go, kiddo," she said as she tousled his hair.

* * *

She started Operation Castle Siege by buying a half dozen white long stem roses and began, as per Henry's instruction, leaving them all over town where Regina Mills would find them.

The first one she left inside the mailbox at 108 Mifflin Street.

This one Henry knew about beforehand and was spying from his curtain closed window as his adoptive mother's surprised face turned into a furrowed brow, and downturned lips pulled into a deep frown. She looked up and down the street before walking back into the house, breaking the rose in half and stuffing it away in the garbage before her son came barreling down the stairs. He looks around and doesn't see the rose he knew she found and then made up some excuse to run back up the stairs to text his birth mother.

**Henry: She doesn't have it.**

**Emma: She got it. I saw her.**

**Henry: I know, so did I.**

**Emma: Don't let her catch you snooping.**

**Henry: She didn't!**

**Emma: She probably tossed it.**

**Emma: This is a bad idea kid. I think we should rethink it.**

**Henry: Mom! trust me. This is only the first one.**

**Henry: She probably thinks it got put in the wrong box or something.**

**Henry: I'm going to see if we can get Granny's for dinner. Meet us there.**

**Henry: but don't "meet" us there ;)**

Emma shook her head and complied.

**Emma: Alright but if she puts a restraining order against me, I'm the law, I'll have to adhere to it.**

**Henry: Emma!**

**Emma: cu l8r**

He put his phone back to charge and ran to go ask his mom about dinner. He put on his best convincing argument, knowing full well she didn't feel like cooking anyway, she was easy to crack with a tiny bit of effort put into his pout.

"You're the best mom ever!" he cried as he ran up to change his clothes to go out.


	7. Chapter 7

Emma casually made her presence known to the Mayor and their son by bringing her mother and father out for dinner. They shared a booth next to the table where Henry and Regina sat. Sometime during the awkward-ish meal, Emma excused herself to the ladies room and ducked out the back. She placed a white rose under the wiper blade of Regina's car and returned back as if nothing had happened.

Once dinner was complete and Regina sat the minimum amount of time that was customary to be polite, she made an excuse to depart. As she walked out to her vehicle, saw the rose right away and looked around the empty street for the perpetrator.

She asked, looking at her son with scrutiny, "Henry, did you leave this here?"

"No mom. On my allowance, you'd be lucky to get carnations." He smiled, and she lifted an eyebrow at him. "That is a pretty flower though," he added as he pulled open his side of the car and got in. She opened her car door and tossed the flower in the back seat. She had her broody face on, so he didn't question the flower further.

_This was a gentle nudge. She couldn't be pushed too fast._

She considered as she drove them home who could be doing this, finally deciding that the pirate was messing with her.

The next flower she found wasn't for another full 24 hours, and it was on the elevator at work. It was after a public forum meeting half the town attended but she knew the rose was for her, so she took it and disposed of it in the waste bin outside. She shook her head as she was no closer to finding the imbecile who had been leaving these infuriating flowers all over the place for her was.

On her way home, she saw her son's other mother loitering outside of the sheriff's station. The woman was not doing anything in particular as she approached, however as soon as green eyes recognized the Mercedes, her phone went up to her ear as if she were on it.

_Smooth Swan._  Emma snickered as she saw the brunette's head turn in her direction as she passed by.

_Okay, a little stalkery._  She climbed into her beetle and drove herself home.

**Emma: Henry, she is on her way home.**

**Henry: Roger that. The package has been delivered.**

**Emma: She is going to start tripping soon.**

**Henry: It'll be fine Emma.**

**Emma: Just… don't let her get all batty.**

**Henry: You're still coming over tonite right?**

**Emma: Affirmative.**

Emma had planned on taking Hook's newly finished paperwork and giving it to the Mayor during the day, but Henry convinced her to stop by the manor, giving him an excuse to ask if she could stay for dinner. She decided that if she saw any true discomfort in her friend, she would decline the offer. No matter how much she trusts her son, she didn't want to push the unpredictable woman too far.

Regina got out of her vehicle and strutted to the door looking down at her phone. Another white rose lay across the front porch of her home. This was getting ridiculous. She'd chosen to ignore the gestures she had first written off as a mistake, but now, could no longer deny that she was the intended target.

The target of what exactly is what she wanted to know. She twisted the now all too familiar white rose between her fingers as she contemplated who it could be. Who was it, and what was their intent? If it was simply for annoyance, it was succeeding.

She was in the kitchen when the doorbell rang out, and Henry bounded down the stairs to answer it. Regina suddenly panicked and came rushing out into the foyer as the boy pulled open the door revealing his blonde mother standing awkwardly on the porch holding a file folder.

"Hey kid!" she said with a wink. "Is your mom…" The question trailed off as green eyes fixated on the brunette who was walking confidently towards them. "Hey, R'gina. I... uh," Emma faltered her thought as the stone cold mask of the Mayor covered her son's mother's face entirely. "I brought you uh… the missing reports," she finished. Henry turned to ask the question, and she coughed and shook her head at him hoping he would get the message.

He turned to his birth mother with pleading in his eyes and when she subtly shook her head once more his little face fell.

Now was not the time. The look on the brunette said it all, she was not in the mood for company and Emma nervously shifted on her feet.

"I was in the office today. You were in the office today. It is inappropriate for you to bring classified town related documents to my home, Sheriff." She took the folder from the blonde anyway, but her displeasure was loud and clear.

"Sorry. Alright. See you later, Henry." She looked at him, and his face was filled with disappointment but she stood firm, the Mayor was in no mood. Perhaps they took this flower business a tad too far. The woman was clearly upset with her, and she felt like if she could just explain, it would shed light on the matter. However, her highly intelligent son had been correct about his adoptive mother. She wasn't ready. The woman who was Emma's friend, wasn't home. She had been hurt and was hiding out. The tyrannical Mayor was running things, and it may take something drastic to get the woman to open up.

However, Henry had little patience for waiting and she got a text from him early the next morning.

**Henry: Dry cleaners. This afternoon at 12:40.**

**Henry: It's time to reassert yourself back into her life Emma.**

**Emma: Henry… I don't think that is a good idea.**

**Henry: You promised to trust me. She was stressed out last night. You were right.**

**Henry: But now, I'm right about this. Just a casual bump.**

Emma rolled her eyes and dug through her clothes and grabbed a couple of pairs of jeans and a tee shirt. She didn't dry clean things. She had no idea what the hell to pick so she figured it ought to be something she would actually have worn.

_People dry clean jeans right?_

* * *

Regina stopped in at Granny's diner on her way to run some errands. She'd had little sleep the previous evening, her wild imagination kept her from getting the restful sleep she was accustomed to. The flower debacle had her worried, not that roses could be construed as a threat, but she didn't understand why she was receiving them. A tiny minuscule grain of hope lay buried deep under a lifetime of pain. Hope that this was perhaps a flattery. That she could have an admirer.

Her better judgment pushed those feelings aside quickly as she took a seat at the counter and ordered a large black coffee from the waitress that manned the till.

The stench of the pirate was sensed long before the man stumbled down into the dining area of the cafe and Regina lifted a finger below her nose to screen the pungent odor. "Does your room not offer you a water closet?"

The man staggered and set his unfocused gaze upon the Queen and asked, "What precisely are you suggesting, Your Majesty?"

"That you've lived too long at sea and have forgotten what personal hygiene means."

"Well, I'm sorry to offend! Not all of us grew up with a silver spoon wedged up our ass."

"You do not require breeding to comprehend how to use soap and water, mongrel."

Hook scoffed as he sat down at the counter and ordered a bottle of rum. "Have I told you yet today how I feel about you?"

Regina's blood ran cold as she realized he  _was_  the one who'd been taunting her and in her surprise, she gasped, "I would never lower myself to the likes of you no matter how many roses you leave for me!"

The roaring laughter that followed her admission pinkened her cheeks and when the man got himself under control he hissed, "Oh you  _would_  lower yourself, Your Majesty, however now, you couldn't pay me to bed you, let alone pretend to woo you with a romantic gesture such as roses. You've gotten delusional in your old age." The man poured himself a tall glass of clear alcohol and continued his merriment. "First Swan, now me? Who's next? Prince Charming?"

She got up from her seat, not waiting for the beverage she ordered and hissed, "Fuck you, Hook!"

"Again Your Majesty I say no thank you!" His laughter burrowed into her soul as she exited the diner, livid.

* * *

Just as Henry had said, Regina rolled her Mercedes into the parking lot of Pressing Matters Dry Cleaners. Emma ducked out and laid a white rose on the roof of the Mayor's car and then followed her into the shop. She grabbed the door before Regina could reach out for it, as the Mayor was looking down distracted by her phone as she walked.

"Madam Mayor," Emma greeted with a smile. Regina looked shocked for a moment before composing herself and slipped her mask back on. "Sheriff Swan. What are you doing here?" she asked before she saw the bundle of clothing the blonde was carrying.

"It is a dry cleaner, Regina." Emma laughed and stood behind her in line. Regina tried to go back to looking at her emails but was put off by the Sheriff's presence.  _Here. Now._  It struck her as a little off, and she scrutinized the woman's clothing.

"You are dry cleaning jeans and tee shirts?" Regina scoffed haughtily.

Emma easily smiled.  _At least if she is lording over me, she is talking to me._   _This is something we can do. This is something we do._  "Yeah well, they are my favorite jeans. They make my ass pop. Gotta keep the money maker lookin fine."

Regina blushed and turned back to her phone. Soon, the blonde behind the till called her forward, and she deposited her dry cleaning on the counter.

"Good day, Sheriff," Regina said as she concluded her transaction and exited the establishment.

Emma smirked. "Good day, Madam Mayor."

Emma watched as the woman ran over to her vehicle and looked wildly around for her secret admirer.

She chuckled as the Mayor stomped her foot and huffed before getting into her vehicle. Emma took the receipt for her clothes that she hadn't really needed to drop off and strutted back out to her car.

**Emma: She's going to be mad when she finds out it's me.**

**Henry: She will be impressed that you went through the effort ma.**

**Emma: My money is on mad.**

**Henry: Trust me. She doesn't think she is worth the effort.**

**Henry: She'll be happy.**

**Emma: Alright but I've only got one more left.**

**Henry: Put it in her office tonight.**

Emma called her son straight away, and as soon as he answered, she scolded, "She is going to freak out if someone breaks into her office Henry!"

"Someone isn't breaking in. You are. She'll get over it in the long term."

"It is the short term I'm kinda worrying myself over, kid."

"Ma. Just do it. Don't forget to mention what we talked about when she calls you about it."

Emma grumbles and rolls her eyes.

This is such a bad idea!

"FINE!" she huffs shaking her head.

She did think it was a bad idea, but she really wanted more in the relationship with her kid's mother and didn't know how to go about getting it. Regina Mills was an enigma wrapped in a level 10 puzzle at the center of a labyrinth. When it came to the Queen, she defaulted to Henry's expertise because the boy knew her best.


	8. Chapter 8

Emma answered the Sheriff's station line early the next morning knowing exactly who it was and what they were calling about.

"Sheriff, there has been a break-in at City Hall. I require your assistance." The stress in the Mayor's voice rang clear over the phone and Emma closed her eyes and shook her head.

_Such a bad idea._

"I'll be right there, Madam Mayor."

Emma came into the Mayor's office some seven minutes later, and listened as Regina went over how the break-in occurred. Emma pulled out a notebook, you know, to seem like she was doing her job, and asked several stock questions about what was missing, how the scene was found, etc.

"Nothing is missing."

"Nothing?" Emma parroted knowingly.

"No. Something was  _left_."

Emma lifted her eyebrows at the brunette and allowed her to continue.

"A white rose," Regina answered the unasked question with a light blush and Emma couldn't help but notice how beautiful the tinge of color made the older woman look.

"It started off as a silly prank, and I thought I knew who it was, but I was mistaken." She shook away the hurt the vile pirate had caused and focused on the Sheriff and continued, "Breaking into the Mayor's office is a serious crime."

Emma's eyes got large as she realized the full extent of what she had done.

"I want you to dust for prints. The person or persons behind this couldn't be smart enough to wear gloves." Emma furrowed her brow as she realized that had been a far too true statement as she had not worn gloves during the break-in. She went out and got her fingerprint dusting kit out of the cruiser anyway and made the effort.

"I want this matter taken seriously, Sheriff. I think I may have a stalker."

Emma swallowed hard at the term the Mayor chose to use and squeaked, "A stalker Regina?"

"These stupid flowers have been found all over. At my  _home_ , Emma. I'm worried about their intent. I'm worried about  _Henry_."

"Maybe someone just, you know,  _likes_ you. It doesn't have to be bad."

Regina shook her head in disbelief and answered in a low tone, "No one  _likes_ the Evil Queen."

The Sheriff looked up from her work and tried to catch the Mayor's eye before stating in a serious tone, "You're not the Evil Queen, Regina." Regina humphed her response and Emma added, "I'll take this matter very seriously."

As she worked, she chatted up the Mayor. "So I, uh... fired Killian Jones," she said without making eye contact.

"Oh?" The brunette attempted to sound uninterested, "Whatever for, dear?"

"Deputy Lucas heard him telling…  _people… lying_  to them… about the nature of his and my relationship," Emma said cautiously. She didn't want the Mayor to know she knew that Regina was the "people" who had been lied to.

That was part of the plan and a major stipulation from her son.

"He…  _lied_?" Regina took to shuffling papers on her desk in a nonsensical fashion.

"Oh yeah, I tried to be a good boss and took him down to the Rabbit Hole. You know, help him get out of his room or whatever. He made a pass at me and some of his buddies saw it and didn't hear me threaten him. They thought that we were, you know… and he totally told them that was the case."

Regina stood perfectly still, and Emma could see out of her peripheral vision the cogs turning into place within the Mayor.

"That, and insubordination. I specifically told him to get his paperwork in on time, and he lied and said he did it. I'm sorry about that by the way. I know you hate it when the paperwork is late."

"Yes well. You got it to me, that is… all that matters," Regina said stiffly. "Are you alright here Sheriff, I'm… I'm… I need to go. I mean I have some other business to attend to. I trust you can lock up, and clean up when you are done?"

"Sure Regina," Emma said with a smile.

**Emma: Done and done. She left though. I think Operation Castle Siege is a bust kid.**

**Henry: She needs time to think.**

**Henry: The lunar eclipse is tomorrow night. Did you ask her?**

Emma paused before answering. She lost her nerve and hadn't mentioned the second part of their son's diabolical plan. The woman had been extremely distraught over the state of her office and Emma feared the repercussions of her actions. Her phone rang, startling her from her mini freak out, and of course, it was Henry.

"No. I didn't ask her. Castle Siege is totally a bust. She thinks she has a stalker! I don't know why I let you talk me into doing this." Emma started to pace in the Mayor's office and imagined all of the ways Regina would enact her revenge.

"It's okay Emma. We can use this. Just set up the picnic like we planned and then call her and tell her you found evidence she needs to see regarding her mystery flower person." Emma was quiet on the line, and Henry continued, "She comes out there, and you tell her it's you."

"I don't know Henry, she was pretty upset about the break-in. I think I went too far."

"Jesus will one of you guys please just get over yourself and see the truth already?" He exclaimed, "I'm eleven and I can see how happy she is with you! Don't you want her to be happy?"

Emma was quiet as she considered the situation. She remembered what the Mayor said about how no one would like the Evil Queen and the sad look on the dark woman's features. The idea that she thought no one could want her in such a way broke the Sheriff's heart. Maybe the kid was right. Emma grumbled, "Okay fine."

Henry's little boy voice chuckles heartily over the line, pulling her from the images of the Mayor. "What is so funny?" Emma asked accusingly.

"Operation Castle Siege is so  _not_  a bust! Mom just texted me about Hook being a liar and asked what she should do."

Emma's heart quickened at the confirmation that Regina was actually interested. "Okay, I'll go set up the site."

"Good luck Ma," Henry said knowing she didn't need luck. Not when she had  _him._

* * *

Emma ran around town and gathered up the supplies she would need for what could be a potential date with her son's mother. She lugged out the telescope and set out the blanket. Pulling out three dozen roses that were purchased from A Game of Thorns, she meticulously cropped their heads and set them into the ground making a beautiful fragrant layer that surrounded the blanket. She stood back and double checked everything, and it was quite romantic.  _Henry was going to make some lucky girl very happy one day_ , she thought to herself as she walked back to her car she'd left on the side of the road and initiated the next part of the plan by calling Regina.

"Hey, so I found something about your mystery admirer. I need you to come and see it," Emma said when Regina answered the phone.

"What is it?"

"I can't explain it Regina, I need you to come see."

"Why must you make everything so difficult?"

"It's part of my charm," the blonde replied with a smirk.

Regina grumbled as she retrieved the location from the Sheriff and hung up the phone.

"Henry?" she called up the stairs.

"Yeah?" he came to the balcony and looked down at his mom knowingly.

"Will you be alright? I need to run out, but I'll be back before dinner."

"I'm good! See you later mom!" He held onto his wicked smile until she was out of sight then went back to his room and called his Grandmother to come and pick him up.


	9. Chapter 9

Regina pulled in behind the yellow bug and watched for a moment as Emma looked up from her phone with a wide smile crossed her face.

 _That woman is infuriatingly beautiful,_  Regina thought as she got out of her own vehicle. They were literally in the middle of nowhere, and it was starting to get dark. She was concerned about what the Sheriff had found and couldn't even venture a guess as to what it was.

"Hi," Emma greeted.

"Well? What is this break in the case that pulled me from my home and our son?" Regina tried to add an air of irritation to her tone she just hadn't felt. She missed the Savior. The week that had passed was dreadfully dull, and her absence was sorely felt.

"Follow me," Emma said with a tone of all-business that did not show the level of nervous she actually felt.

They walked away from the road and through a cluster of trees until they came upon a small clearing. There were white roses all over and a blanket. The area was lit with paper tea lights that were strung between the branches of the circle of trees that gave the place a soft romantic feel, but yet provided enough light to be comfortable out in the wooded area.

"I don't want to question your detective work Sheriff, but how the hell did you find this?" Regina said wide-eyed as she took in the area.

"It was easy actually because I set it up," Emma said plainly.

"What? Why?" Regina ripped her eyes away from the romantic scene to look at the Savior with honest confusion in her eyes.

"I thought we could have some dinner and watch the lunar eclipse together." Emma held out a small bouquet of the white roses she had been leaving for the Mayor. "Shall we?"

Regina stumbled in obvious shock, "Henry… I uh... need to," she slowly started to back away from the Sheriff as her mind started to click the pieces into place.

"My parents picked him up 15 minutes ago and are keeping him overnight," Emma said with a shy smile.

Regina straightened up and stopped moving towards the road. Her lips drew out into a snarky smile and she quipped, "Overnight? That was very presumptuous of you, Miss Swan."

"Uh, no… I mean… I just thought," Emma blushed a beautiful shade of red but then composed herself as she realized Regina was teasing. "So we, uh… didn't have to rush."

Emma held out the bouquet to the brunette who took the offered flowers and brought them up to take in their fragrance. Emma smiled wide and figured that as a step in the right direction.

"So what's for dinner, Miss Swan?" Regina asked as Emma guided her over to the blanket.

Emma knelt down on the blanket next to the basket of stuff she brought with her. She was nervous, and it showed. Regina settled down on the other side and tried to make small talk.

"So you broke into my office?" her dark eyes pinned to the blonde who stopped pulling out their meal for a moment, sheer terror crossed her face.

"Yeah, I know, I told Hen that was a bad idea. I'd say I'm sorry, but you are here so, I'm not," Emma said not looking at the Mayor as she finished pulling out containers that held their dinner.

Emma's phone alerted her to an incoming text message, followed by several more. She tried to ignore it, knowing full well it was Henry.

"I presume that is our scheming son?" Regina asked with a smirk. Emma took out her phone to confirm and nodded her head.

"Well, put his mind at ease dear, his plan to get his mother's on a date has been an astounding success."

**Henry: Well?**

**Henry: Is she there yet?**

**Henry: What happened?**

**Henry: Mom?**

Emma smiled at her son's excited texts, and as she went to answer him, she heard Regina's "mom" tone, "Henry, you went through all the trouble of setting this up, the least you can do is allow us to enjoy this beautiful dinner in peace."

When Emma looked up her eyes caught the dark stare pinning her in place.

"Uh huh, you too darling, enjoy your night with the Charmings dear," she said and disconnected the call. "No more interruptions. Now, shall we?" A devious toothy smile shined through red lips as Regina watched the gaping look of her date.

Emma settled down after that, and they enjoyed their meal and talked like they never had before, both trusting that each of them was present and not rejecting one another.

Emma's alarm went off as she was telling a story in answer to a question Regina had asked. "Oh! The eclipse! I didn't realize it was so soon!" she exclaimed honestly. Time felt like it had stood still as she sat there with her son's mother.

Regina took charge of setting up the telescope for the best view, and Emma was more concerned with watching Regina than she was with anything else. She was completely mesmerized by the woman. She'd, of course, noticed the woman's grace, but she'd never been in a position to openly appreciate her beauty before.

"Look! It is starting!" Regina said excitedly stepping back and allowing the blonde to take a look down the scope.

"That is cool," Emma said as she stood back up quickly then tried to step back when she realized Regina was much closer to her than she was when she stooped down to view the moon. Regina took a step closer yet and bit her bottom lip nervously.

"Emma," she breathed the word and the Savior had never loved the way her name sounded better than when it passed over those lips. Those lips that were getting much closer than they ever had before. Emma shivered, and Regina reached out with one hand grabbing Emma's wrist, guiding her hand around her waist. With her other hand, she slipped it up behind the Savior's neck and pulled the woman into a tentative kiss.

As soon as their lips met, Emma melted and pulled the woman closer, pouring heat behind the closed mouth kiss they shared in the pitch black night.

Regina's hand slipped out from behind the Savior's neck, dragging her nails over her flesh to cup her cheek. She broke the fevered kiss and spoke, "This was very nice, Emma. I never knew you were such a romantic."

"There is a lot about me you don't know Regina, I hope…" she pauses and swallows nervously, "I hope you stick around to find out more."

"I am definitely interested," Regina replied with a sexy smile. "But we should probably go."

Emma could see that the older woman was hesitant, but knew Regina was right; it was getting late. They turned and packed up the picnic and headed back to the cars. Regina helped by loading the telescope into the back seat of Emma's bug. She stood up and dusted her hands off, turning into the Savior who was suddenly right behind her.

Emma kissed her hard, pushing her back against the vehicle. Regina groaned into the kiss and ran her tongue against the Savior's warm lips seeking entrance to her mouth. Emma groaned herself and what was just lips became much more intimate. She cupped the sides of Regina's head and tore herself away. "Come home with me," she asked breathlessly.

"Miss Swan, I am a  _queen_. I do not give it up on the first date!" Regina exclaimed.

"No, I mean…" Emma stumbled on her words, "I don't want to let you go yet. Come back to my place, and we can watch a movie and have a good old fashion platonic hangout or something."

Regina saw the longing sincerity in the younger woman's eyes and decided she didn't want to let the blonde go yet either. "Only if we watch the Temple of Doom, and you lose the  _platonic_ part of your invitation," she stated firmly.

"You like Indie?" Emma asked astounded.

"There is much about me that you don't know either, Miss Swan. You'll find I have impeccable taste."

* * *

They return to Emma's apartment and settled down on the couch for some Flix 'n Chill; Emma made popcorn, and they both discussed the finer points of the film. As the movie wore on the two got closer together on the couch, and by the end, Emma's arm was wrapped around Regina who was, in turn, leaning into her.

As the credits rolled, Regina turned to Emma and asked, "I would like to accompany you to the Rabbit Hole. I'd like to be apart of who you are, outside of all this savior business." She placed her hand over Emma's who had made it's way up the brunette's thigh.

"Is that why you were there last week?"

"Henry told you," Regina's cheeks pinkened lightly as the truth of her embarrassment came to light.

"No, I  _saw_ you."

"You saw?" What was a light pink turned a deep red, and she looked away from the intensity of the green eyes watching her.

"I ran after you."

Regina flicked a doubtful look up from under her dark eyelashes.

"You were gone by the time I got outside. If I had known you were there to see  _me_ , I would have gone after you."

"Really?"

Emma smiled and nodded, "Oh yeah," she said in a husky voice. "I've liked you for some time."

"You've  _liked_  me?"

"I know that sounds unsophisticated, but it's true."

Regina swallows hard in the face of her inner demons and asks the one question she can think to ask, "How could you? After everything I've done?"

"I'm a see the big picture kind of woman, Regina." She clasped her hand around the brunette's own and continued, "I know you." She pressed her free hand to the Queen's chest and said, "I really know you and understand how you got to the point where the Evil Queen was born."

Regina pulled away, feeling exposed. "You don't know me, Emma. You don't know everything I've done."

"Tell me then."

Fear struck dark watery eyes and a hand reached out to touch porcelain skin only to hesitate as truths pooled in the back of the Queen's throat. "I… I can't…"

Emma took the woman's outstretched hand and cupped her own cheek with it and said, "You can. I'm here."

"For how long?"

"For as long as you will have me," Emma answered as she closed her eyes and leaned into the woman's caress.

"As long as  _I'll_  have  _you_?"

"Yeah," Emma felt herself blush as she was cornered into revealing truths of her own. "You're a queen, and I'm still just me."

"The  _Evil_  Queen, Emma," Regina corrected.

"Maybe once upon a time," Emma countered.

"No, recently. Everything that happened when Cora came to town-"

"Regina! That wasn't your fault, she manipulated both of us! I can't blame you for-"

"I killed Graham!" the brunette exclaimed then covered her mouth as if she could pull the words back in.

Emma frowned at the admission and took a deep breath before explaining, "I know."

"You know? How could you  _know_?"

"The kid told me after it happened. I didn't believe him until the curse broke, but… I came to terms with it."

"How?"

"I… met your mother for starters. Did I mention she was a piece of work?"

"Several times."

"Well, she was." Emma sat back and looked into her own lap before admitting, "I know a little something about piece of work mothers and I know what that can do to you."

"Your mother is many things Miss Swan but-"

"Not Snow," Emma corrected tightly.

"Oh," the brunette swallowed thickly and added, "I'm sorry."

"I know you are." Emma took a deep breath and said, "I forgive you." She shook her head and added, "I don't think I've ever told you that, but I do."

Regina closed her eyes and hung her head before shaking it, and the blonde's sentiment away. Emma combed her fingers into brown hair, pulling the older woman into her and pressed her lips against the side of the Queen's head. "Will you stay with me?" The tentative question hung in the air and the Sheriff held her breath until the slightest of nods was felt.

"For as long as you will have me," the deep timbre of the Queen's voice resonated with her sincerity and when dark eyes looked up, she saw nothing but joy across the blonde's face.

"Careful what you wish for Madam Mayor. You could be stuck with me."

Regina leaned in and laid a chaste kiss on pink lips and said, "I'd never consider myself stuck with you, Miss Swan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A\N: That's it kids. I don't normally do the fluffy fics and with this one I wanted it to stay light so this is how I'm choosing to end it. I feel like OUAT Canon never really addressed the Graham issue with Regina's redemption and so I wanted our girls to have a truly clean start with no secrets.  
> I hope you enjoyed this fic ~ Until next time kiddos  
> ~Lu


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